NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) – A shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News Friday afternoon sent a female teacher to the hospital, police and school officials confirm.
The school is located at 205 Tyner Drive, off Jefferson Avenue.
Dispatch received the first call about the incident at 2 p.m.
The teacher is being treated at Riverside Regional Medical Center, but police have not released the extent of her injuries.
NNPS said the person responsible for the shooting is in police custody. Sources from NNPS tell WAVY it was a first grade student who shot the teacher.
No students were injured in the shooting.
The school system sent information to Richneck families in a phone call and email, and posted it to social media about an hour after the incident.
NNPD Chief Steve Drew spoke with the media Friday afternoon.
He said all the children were moved to the gym after the incident and are safe. This is no longer an active shooter situation.
Chief Drew confirmed there was one location where a gunshot was fired, and evidence was recovered from that location.
“We did not have a situation where someone was going around the school shooting,” Chief Drew said.
There are counselors at the school talking with the students.
Police said they are working to reunite parents with students at this time. That is taking place at the Richneck gym door. Parents and guardians must present a photo ID to pick up their child.
They are dismissing students by grade level, Chief Drew said.
“The number one priority for me is to check on our victim at the hospital and get all these students back with their families,” Chief Drew said.
WAVY spoke with Richneck parent Joselyn Glover who told us, “My heart stopped. I was freaking out. I was very nervous just wondering was that one person my son?”
The school was on lockdown for about an hour before it was lifted, according to NNPS.
The police department’s response was “almost immediate, very, very quick, within minutes,” said Drew.
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** The viewer video below shows police responding to the shooting incident **
Upon hearing the news, Sen. Mark Warner tweeted, “Deeply disturbed by this report and closely monitoring the situation. My thoughts go out to all families and first responders.”
Sen. Tim Kaine also issued a statement, saying, “I’m monitoring this situation closely and praying for the safety of the students, teachers, staff, and first responders at Richneck Elementary School.”
There was a school shooting in Newport News in the fall of 2021, at Heritage High School. In that incident, a student fired several shots in a busy hallway. A 17-year-old boy and girl were wounded by the gunfire. Jacari Taylor was 16 years old when a judge sentenced him to 10-years for the shooting.